Goldenhair

When a little-known supporting actor beat out the likes of Hugh Jackman and Jude Law to become the latest 007, the headlines focused on a trivial trait. “Blond Bond"—that’s how Daniel Craig got billed, as if the color of his hair defines the way he’s taken on the role.

Turns out he’s no peroxide priss. In Casino Royale (a remake so loosely connected to the 1967 farce that it might as well be considered a new movie), Craig’s locks are closer to the brunet side of blond, and his James Bond is the toughest, edgiest yet.

Craig isn’t as suave as Sean Connery, comedic as Roger Moore or, shall we say, sensitive as Pierce Brosnan. His professional veneer—"armor,” as Bond girl Vesper Lynd calls it—is always up front, even when danger has receded into the background. But don’t confuse him with the bland Bonds, George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton; Craig crackles with the depth one would expect from the star of an indie film called Layer Cake.

He gets plenty of time to hone his character. Casino Royale takes two-and-a-half hours to tell its story, with changes of pace that are both refreshing and frustrating.

The gist: James Bond, with his newly minted license to kill, takes off after a bomb-maker with ties to international terrorists. His capture techniques are far from subtle, and Bond finds himself in the bad graces of M (Judi Dench). On his own, sort of, he follows the trail to freedom-fighter financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), who has blood for tears and breathes well for someone who sucks on an inhaler so often.

Where do the casino and Vesper (breathtaking Eva Green) come in? Toward the late middle, for a high-stakes poker game that is just one nod to contemporary times. Laptops, cell phones, terrorism—this is no Cold War epic like Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, from which the screenwriters liberally riff.

In fact, history is one of the annoyances of Casino Royale. It starts off like a prequel, but we find ourselves in a modern building … then it’s 2006 when Bond becomes 007. What does that mean for the 20 earlier movies?

Bond movies always require a suspension of disbelief, though. Here, he’d have to be the Bionic Man to tackle the foot chases and Aquaman to survive the underwater rescue. So, what’s a little chronology challenge among friends?

Director Martin Campbell has broken in a new Bond before, in Goldeneye. He helped Brosnan redefine the role for mid-'90s sensibilities; he’s done likewise with Craig. Casino Royale may have some bad beats and take a while to get to the payoff, but it’s a winning proposition.